Environmental Protection Agency January 4, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We are proposing to approve Section 1.11 of Colorado's procedural rules as adopted by the Air Quality Control Commission (Commission) on January 16, 1998 and submitted to EPA as a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision on November 5, 1999. Section 1.11 specifies certain requirements regarding the composition of the Commission and disclosure by its members of potential conflicts of interest. We are also reproposing approval of a portion of Colorado's January 7, 2008 submittal to meet the ``infrastructure'' requirements of section 110(a)(2) of the Clean Air Act (CAA) for the 1997 8-hour ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), specifically the portion intended to address the requirements of section 110(a)(2)(E)(ii) of the CAA. We previously proposed approval, 76 FR 28707, of this portion as part of our action on the January 7, 2008 submittal. This action is being taken under section 110 of the CAA.

In accordance with section 113(g) of the Clean Air Act, as amended (``Act''), 42 U.S.C. 7413(g), notice is hereby given of a proposed settlement agreement to address lawsuits filed by EnerNOC, Inc., EnergyConnect, Inc., CPower, Inc., and Innoventive Power, LLC (``Petitioners'') in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit: EnerNOC, et al v. EPA, No. 10-1090 (DC Cir.) and EnerNOC, et al v. EPA, No. 10-1336 (DC Cir.). Petitioners filed for review of two EPA rulemakings that revised the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines (the RICE NESHAP). Under the terms of the proposed settlement agreement, by April 20, 2012, the Agency will sign a notice of proposed rulemaking that includes a proposal to revise the RICE NESHAP and the stationary internal combustion engine new source performance standards (ICE NSPS) to allow owners and operators of emergency stationary internal combustion engines to operate emergency stationary internal combustion engines in emergency conditions, as defined in those regulations, as part of an emergency demand response program for 60 hours per year or the minimum hours required by Independent System Operator tariff, whichever is less. The notice of proposed rulemaking may also allow for more hours of operation. In addition, under the terms of the proposed settlement agreement, by December 14, 2012, the Administrator of EPA will sign a final action on this proposal, which may include signature of a final rule by the Administrator. If EPA promulgates in final form an amendment to the RICE NESHAP and ICE NSPS that includes changes that are substantially the same substance as that set forth in the settlement agreement, then Petitioners shall promptly file a stipulation of dismissal of Nos. 10- 1090 and 10-1336.

EPA is proposing to adjust the allowance system controlling U.S. consumption and production of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) as a result of a recent court decision vacating a portion of the rule titled ``Protection of Stratospheric Ozone: Adjustments to the Allowance System for Controlling HCFC Production, Import, and Export; Final Rule.'' EPA interprets the court's vacatur as applying to the part of the rule that establishes the company-by-company baselines and calendar-year allowances for HCFC-22 and HCFC-142b. Following the August 5, 2011 interim final rule allocating allowances for 2011, this action proposes to relieve the regulatory ban on production and consumption of these two chemicals following the court's vacatur by establishing company-by-company HCFC-22 and HCFC-142b baselines and allocating production and consumption allowances for 2012-2014.